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Ben Affleck and Matt Damon star in The Rip, Netflix’s first big release of the year, and it’s deserving of its streaming success. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have worked together many times, with some of their most notable collaborations being the movies Good Will Hunting, Field of Dreams, and Air.
Their latest collaboration is the action thriller The Rip, written and directed by Joe Carnahan. The Rip was released on January 16, 2026, and has been a critical success, currently holding an 81% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Rip has been sitting on the #1 spot in Netflix’s Top 10 for days, and it definitely deserves its success.
The Rip Is A Great Action Thriller
Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Yeun, and Kyle Chandler in an armored car in The Rip
The Rip follows Lt. Dane Dumars (Matt Damon) and Detective Sgt. JD Byrne (Ben Affleck), along with their team within the narcotics unit of the Miami-Dade Police Department. During a raid, the team discovers millions of dollars in cash inside a run-down stash house, which they take for themselves.
However, when suspicions arise around their actions at the police department, distrust arises within the group, as one of them is believed to be a snitch. The Rip could have easily become a cliché (although it does fall into some) and predictable action movie, but it’s one of Netflix’s biggest surprises in recent years.
The Rip has incredible performances from Damon, Affleck, Teyana Taylor, and Steven Yeun, with most praise going towards the always great chemistry between the first two. These are even better thanks to the movie’s tense atmosphere, which the movie achieves not only through its story but also its “bottle movie” style, which gives it a claustrophobic feel.
The Rip can even feel like an immersive experience, as it brings its audience into the story, inviting them to question who is trustworthy and who isn’t. The Rip has exciting action sequences, mystery, suspense, and plot twists, keeping the audience engaged from beginning to end.
Ben Affleck And Matt Damon's Reunions Continue To Be Special
Matt Damon as Will Hunting and Ben Affleck as Chuckie sit together at the bar.Everett
The friendship between Matt Damon and Ben Affleck is well known, and they have also proven to be great colleagues and creative partners. The Damon and Affleck team-up gained worldwide praise and recognition in 1997 with Good Will Hunting, written by them and starring Damon as Will Hunting and Affleck as his childhood friend.
Since then, every Affleck and Damon collaboration has caught the attention of the audience, no matter if they are writing, producing, or acting together. The pair have collaborated in a variety of movies – from historical dramas like The Last Duel to fantasy comedies like Dogma and biographical dramas like Air.
Having Affleck and Damon back together in a project like The Rip further proves that they can do pretty much anything and bring their off-screen chemistry to their characters, regardless of how well or badly their characters get along.
What Are Ben Affleck And Matt Damon Doing Next?
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck looking at a phone while standing in a garage in The RipWarrick Page/©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
At the time of writing, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon don’t have projects lined up where they appear together on-screen, but they do have one more collaboration coming up. Titled Animals, it’s a crime thriller movie directed by Ben Affleck and written by him, Connor O. McIntyre, and Billy Ray.
Animals stars Affleck as Milo Bradford, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate, whose son is kidnapped. Bradford and his wife have a couple of hours to get the money to pay the ransom, but as most of their money was spent on his political campaign, they have to get their hands dirty and bring out a dark side of themselves.
Matt Damon serves as producer in Animals, and though he’s not part of the cast, it’s always possible that he could have an uncredited cameo of some sort. For now, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon can continue to enjoy the massive success of The Rip.
Release Date January 16, 2026
Runtime 133 minutes
Director Joe Carnahan
Writers Joe Carnahan, Michael McGrale